Piano-violin



(No Model.) T; OLESON.

PIANO VIOLIN.

vNo. 314,540. Patnted Mar. 24, 1885.

1 l... r um "1I IIIlyInImqumI ATTORNEYS.

Ferarri TIMAN OLESON, OF HAVLEY, ASSiGhTOR OF ONE-HALF TO @LEY A. OLSON, OF IilINNEAPOLIS, llINNESOTA.

PIANO-ViOLiN.

ESPECIFICATION foaming part of Letters Patent No. Bld-,546, dated March 24, 1885.

(No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, Tinian OLnsoN, a citiA zen of the United States, and a resident ofHawley, in the county of Clay and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments; and l do hereby declare that the following is'a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which 1o it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication, and in which- Figure l, is a perspective view of my im i5 proved musical instrument. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same with the upper portion ot' the casing removed. Fig. 3 isa erosssection, and Fig. 4 is a detail view, of the action.

Similar letters of reference indicate correzo spending parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of stringed instruments in which the strings are sounded by a bow drawn across the strings, and in which the strings are clamped at their z 5 several stops by suitable mechanism operated from a key-board; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts ot' the same, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the sounding-box, which is preferably made in the shape of the body of a violin, and which is secured to one end of the box B containing the action, and two springs, O, are extended from the endof the soundingbox to the end of the box containing the action, being secured at that end to pins D, of the usual construction, fitting in perforations E at that end.

A series of keys, F. are arranged in one side of the box containing the action, and are provided upon their under sides with downwardly-projecting rods or pins G, which bear against the outer ends of a series of levers, H, pivotedin the box in the manner usual for pivoting the keys of a piano, and the inner ends of theselevers bear against the lower ends of a number of pins, I, sliding in perfo rat-ions J in a bridge, K, at the rear side of the actionbox, and the upper ends of these pins bear against the rear ends of a number of blocks, L, pivoted at their forward ends upon a bridge, M, at the inner ends of the keys, and provided with upwardly-projecting hammers or dampers N, having two upwardly-proiecting lugs, O, covered upon one side with leather or similar yielding material, which lugs may be brought to bear against one side of the strings when their respective keys are struck.

It will thus be seen that when the strings are sounded by drawinga bow over them, and a key is depressed, the hammer operated by that key will bear against the side ot' the string and cut the vibrations ofthe string ott' at the point of contact, operating in the same manner as the fingers ot' a violin-player.

The keys are preferably arranged in the same manner as the keys ot' a piano, and a person may play an air by ngering in the saine manner as in playing` a pianoforte, the instrument being preferably intended for the purpose of playing over song parts, for the purpose ol" teaching or learning them, and for the purpose of increasing the register of the instrument one stringis preferably tuned one or two octaves lower than the other.

The upper side of the action-box is proY vided with a folding lid, I?, hinged at its rear edge and folding down overa recess, Q, in the top of the box, and the said lid may be folded up when the instrument is to be used, when it will serve as a music-rack, the lower edge of the music-sheet resting in the recess and bearing against the forward side of the same.

I am aware that stringed instruments have been constructed in which the strings are sounded by a bow, and clamped at their several stops by means of a suitable mechanism operated from a key-board, and I do not wish to claim such construction, broadly; but

I claim- The combination of the sounding-box, the action-box, the strings and pins, the keys arranged in a series in the forward side of the action-box and having downwardly-projecting pins upon their under sides, the levers pivoted in the action-box and having the pins bearing against their forward ends7 the pins y In testimony that I eainl the foregoing as sliding in the Vertical perforations in the l my own I have hereunto aiiixed my signature io bridge of the action-box and bearing against in presence of two witnesses.

the rear ends of the levers, and the hammerri L ,T T bearing blocks provided with the hammers or 'l IMAX OLESOB" dampers having the upwardly projecting XVitnessQs:

leather-Covered lugs7 as and for the purpose Jol-1N CosTAIN,

shown and set forth. GUNNIR SoLWoLD. 

